Michael Kirkman | Relief Pitcher

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Michael Kirkman (shoulder) is not yet symptom-free and remains limited to flat-ground work.

Kirkman is dealing with an impingement in his left shoulder. That he's able to do any throwing at all is obviously positive, but the Rangers will feel better about his status once he's able to throw from the bump again with no problems. Mar 2 - 6:27 PM

Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder, but he's making progress. The 28-year-old southpaw was non-tendered by the Rangers in December, but he's in camp this spring as a non-roster invitee and will attempt to win a bullpen job if healthy. Feb 25 - 11:31 AM

Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder, but he could be able to throw as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. The 28-year-old is in camp with the Rangers on a minor league deal and hopes to win a bullpen job this spring. Feb 24 - 11:16 AM

Michael Kirkman (shoulder) is aiming to resume his spring throwing program in a couple of days.

Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder. He showed significant improvement Monday. "My range of motion is a lot better than a few days ago," said the right-hander. "It's almost back to normal. It may be normal." Kirkman, 28, is hoping to win a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen. Feb 23 - 3:41 PM

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Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder, but he's making progress. The 28-year-old southpaw was non-tendered by the Rangers in December, but he's in camp this spring as a non-roster invitee and will attempt to win a bullpen job if healthy.

Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder, but he could be able to throw as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. The 28-year-old is in camp with the Rangers on a minor league deal and hopes to win a bullpen job this spring.

Michael Kirkman (shoulder) is aiming to resume his spring throwing program in a couple of days.

Kirkman was shut down last week due to an impingement in the back of his left shoulder. He showed significant improvement Monday. "My range of motion is a lot better than a few days ago," said the right-hander. "It's almost back to normal. It may be normal." Kirkman, 28, is hoping to win a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen.

Rangers re-signed LHP Michael Kirkman to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Kirkman was non-tendered earlier this week. Control has been an issue for the 28-year-old, but he has good velocity from the left side and has struck out nearly a batter per inning in his major league career.

The Rangers never developed trust in Kirkman even though he's a lefty who throws in the mid-90s and who has struck out a batter per inning during his career. Control has often been an issue, and he holds a 4.98 ERA over 94 appearances, but someone will take a shot on the 28-year-old.

Kirkman was booted off the Rangers' 40-man roster at the end of March, but he's back after posting a 4.47 ERA with 62 strikeouts and 29 walks over 54 1/3 innings this season in Triple-A. He figures to pitch in middle relief.

Kirkman was designated for assignment last Friday and cleared waivers without being claimed. The 27-year-old owns a 5.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 82 appearances at the major league level and will serve as pitching depth in the minors.

The move was made in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Chris Gimenez. Kirkman was once a pretty nice prospect but holds a career 5.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 82 appearances at the big league level. However, he's also struck out a batter per inning and as a lefty that can throw in the mid-90s, he'll get a shot somewhere.

Kirkman has been sidelined since early June after he experienced a recurrence of cancer near his right triceps muscle. The 26-year-old lefty posted an 8.18 ERA, 2.32 WHIP and 25/15 K/BB ratio over 22 innings with the Rangers before hitting the DL.

It's a recurrence of cancer in his right triceps area that he was originally diagnosed with last January. Kirkman should ultimately be fine, but he figures to be sidelined for a while in order to receive treatment. Kyle McClellan took his spot on the roster.

Michael Kirkman will start against the Angels in Wednesday's Cactus League game.

Meanwhile, Nick Tepesch will pitch on the minor league side. The Rangers haven't made a decision about who will be their fifth starter, but it's clear that they haven't given up on Kirkman as a possibility. They are also scouting Dodgers' pitchers Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, but the expectation is that they'll settle on an internal candidate.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels said that Michael Kirkman is a "possibility" to open the season in the starting rotation.

Kirkman hasn't allowed a run in five Cactus League appearances and could join Robbie Ross, Justin Grimm and Nick Tepesch as a candidate for the final spot in the Rangers' rotation. He pitched three perfect innings in a loss to the Mariners on Sunday and has retired 26 of 29 batters he's faced this spring.

Shin-Soo choo (elbow, ankle) is progressing nicely in his rehab and admits to feeling "too good" as spring training nears.

The veteran outfielder is already doing full baseball activities and shouldn't have any limitations when spring training begins. He's looking to bounce back from a forgettable 2014 campaign where he slashed just .242/.340/.374 with 13 homers and 40 RBI in 123 games in his first season as a Ranger.

Harrison, who is recovering from spinal fusion surgery, has previously been limited to throwing from 90 feet. He's making progress, but the Rangers aren't expecting him to be ready to contribute until around late May.

The Rangers are expecting Martin Perez (elbow) to rejoin the rotation in July.

Perez has expanded his throwing program to 120 feet and plans to mix in some changeups with his fastball next week. The club says he's ahead of his rehab timetable from Tommy John surgery at the moment, though obviously he still has a long ways to go. "I feel like the ball is going fast," Perez said. "I’m doing good. I’m throwing every day again. I just want to do everything good, take my time and come back and help my team."